Packing Your
Hospital Bag

For Labour

The stash your partner and midwife need to find fast, which is why plenty of mums pack it as its own little bag inside the big one.

Delivery outfit

Some mums dress for the occasion, some dare to bare, and both are correct. Whatever makes you feel comfortable and in charge, whether that's a birth gown or an oversized t-shirt you never want to see again. Pack it where it's easy to grab.

Bathers

Not for laps. A shower or bath during labour can be ten minutes of heaven, and if your support person is getting in there with you to hold you up, they'll want a pair too. Pop a set in for each of you, water birth planned or not.

TENS machine

Drug-free pain relief that you can start using at home in early labour, before anyone's driving anywhere. Pads sit on your lower back and send gentle electrical pulses through to take the edge off contractions, and you can hire one rather than buy. Just don't lose sight of the remote mid-contraction.

Heat pack

Warmth on the lower back or tummy is one of the oldest tricks in the labour book, and it works just as well on afterpains once bub's out. Some hospitals supply them, but bring your own so you're not waiting on a midwife with better things to do.

Wheat bag

The heat pack's microwaveable cousin, and the one that smells faintly of toast. Same job during labour, then it moonlights as a lap warmer during chilly night feeds. If you're only packing one of the two, most mums would tell you the wheat bag earns its spot for the after part.

Massage oil

Labour is the one time your partner will rub your back for hours without complaint, so make it count. A bottle of massage oil (with a few drops of a relaxing essential oil if you like) makes the difference between a soothing massage and a friction burn.

Music

Swaying to a playlist can help you stay calm and even help bub wiggle into position. Build your birthing playlist now, while you can still concentrate. Nobody wants to be scrolling for songs between contractions.

Portable speaker

Because phone speakers weren't built to fill a birthing suite. A small Bluetooth speaker pumps out the calm (or the power ballads, no judgement) without anyone holding a phone aloft for six hours.

Diffuser

An oil diffuser fills the room with a calming scent and makes a clinical space feel a bit more like yours. Check with your hospital first, as some have rules about them in birthing suites.

Flameless candles

Real candles are banned in hospitals for obvious reasons, but battery-operated ones are fine and turn harsh fluorescent lighting into something almost zen. A string of fairy lights does the same trick.

Your own pillow

Hospital pillows exist, technically. Yours from home gives your neck somewhere familiar between contractions, and if you end up with a caesarean, hugging a pillow to your tummy when you sneeze or cough genuinely takes the edge off. Put it in a coloured pillowcase so it doesn't get swept up in the hospital laundry.

Snacks and drinks

The hospital snack trolley operates on its own mysterious schedule. Pack labour snacks for energy, then a second stash for afterwards, because breastfeeding hunger is a force of nature. Your partner will also eat more than either of you expects.

Esky

Sounds odd on a hospital list until you hear the two uses. If you're planning on keeping your placenta, you'll need an esky or container to get it home. If you're not, fill it with ice and cold drinks, because there's no thirst quite like the first days after birth.

Sense of humour

Not available at Kmart, unfortunately. Pack it anyway and leave your dignity at the door. Whatever happens in the birthing suite stays in the birthing suite, and you will be laughing about it at mothers' group within the year.

Comfort in Your Room

Hospitals are noisy, brightly lit and air-conditioned to within an inch of their lives. This is about making a few days there feel less like a hospital.

Sleep mask and earplugs

Maternity wards don't really do night time: lights on, trolleys past your door, someone's baby awake at all hours. A mask and earplugs let you sleep whenever bub does, regardless of what the clock says. Two of the cheapest things in the bag and two of the most used.

Headphones

Sharing a room with other mums and their newborns changes what you can get away with at 2am. Headphones mean you can watch Netflix through the feed without becoming the ward's least popular resident.

Your own tea bags

We're not knocking hospital tea. Actually, we are. Your favourite cuppa is a five-second taste of home, and you'll want several a day.

Your own mug

While you're packing tea bags, add your favourite mug. There's something disproportionately comforting about drinking out of your own mug when everything else around you is unfamiliar and beeping.

Phone, charger and extension cord

1% battery is the last thing you want to see mid-photoshoot with your brand new human. Pack the charger, then pack an extra-long cable or extension cord too, because the nearest socket is never near the bed.

Camera and charger

If you love crisp, beautiful photos, a proper camera earns its space, because this is not the week for grainy. No birth photographer booked? Midwives are usually happy to snap a few if you ask.

Portable photo printer

The fun one. A little Bluetooth printer spits out photos of bub before you've even left the ward, and handing a visitor a printed first photo is a genuine delight. Absolutely not essential, absolutely a good time.

Milestone cards

You didn't stay up till midnight ordering the "hello world" card for nothing. Pack it with the going home outfit so day one gets its photo.

Notepad or baby journal

Midwives are walking encyclopaedias and your brain will retain roughly none of it. Somewhere to write down the advice, the feed times and who gave you what saves you trying to recall day two from the far side of a week that blurs. A notes app does the same job if that's more your thing.

Paperwork and birth plan

The unglamorous entry that saves the day. Birth plan, hospital admission papers, Medicare card and health insurance details, all in one folder someone else could find without you directing traffic. Slip in a list of who to call once bub arrives, because baby brain plus excitement equals forgetting your own mother's number.

Current medication

Anything you take regularly comes with you, and gets mentioned to your doctor or midwife on arrival so it's noted on your chart. Not exciting, very important.

Recovery Down Below

Nobody puts this bit on the pretty Instagram flat lays, and it's the part of the bag you'll be most grateful for. All of it is normal.

Maternity pads

Big, soft and built for the job, which regular pads simply are not. The hospital supplies some, but bring a pack or three of your own. You'll keep using them for a few weeks at home, so nothing goes to waste.

Adult nappies

These look like a step too far until roughly day one, when they become genius. Full-coverage incontinence pants hold far more than a pad, nothing shifts around, and the sides tear open for changes. Plenty of mums use these for the first few days, then switch to maternity pads. Grapeviner mum Martine calls one packet of these her best hospital tip ever.

High-waisted black undies

The maternity pad's essential partner. High-waisted so they sit above a caesarean scar, cotton so they breathe, black for reasons that need no explanation. Some styles are leak-proof for extra insurance. Buy cheap, buy several.

Padsicles

A DIY favourite: maternity pads soaked in witch hazel and aloe, frozen, and applied where needed. Cooling, soothing and pain-relieving on stitches and swelling. Make a batch before your due date and store them in the hospital fridge or your trusty esky.

Perineal spray bottle

A squeeze bottle of warm water to rinse while you wee, so nothing stings and nothing needs wiping. Sounds niche, gets used constantly. Some mums say it's the single item they'd tell every pregnant friend about.

Flushable wipes

Softer and kinder than any toilet paper on tender bits. Pat, don't wipe, and remember to breathe. Worth knowing: "flushable" claims vary wildly, so bin them if your plumbing has opinions.

Soft toilet paper

Hospital loo roll is one-ply and unapologetic about it. Bring a roll of the good stuff from home. When it comes to your first post-birth loo trips, only the best will do.

Ural sachets

An over-the-counter urinary alkaliniser that makes wee less acidic, so it stings less on grazes and stitches. Grapeviner mum Chontelle swears by a few sachets a day in the first week. Have a quick word with your midwife or pharmacist before starting, as with anything you're taking postpartum.

Peppermint tea

The traditional gentle nudge for a windy, bloated post-birth tummy, and trapped gas after a caesarean is famously uncomfortable. A calming cuppa that's also working behind the scenes. Check in with your midwife about what's suitable for you if you're unsure.

Laxatives

Nobody warns you how much headspace the first post-birth poo takes up. A gentle laxative or stool softener gets things moving without drama, and midwives often offer one anyway. Ask yours what they recommend before taking your own.

Heat pack (for afterpains)

Already packed one for labour? It gets a second career here. Afterpains (the cramps as your uterus shrinks back down) respond beautifully to warmth on the tummy, especially while feeding, which is exactly when they strike.

Compression wear

Recovery shorts and leggings gently compress your tummy and pelvis, which many mums describe as feeling "held together", particularly after a caesarean. Grapeviner mum Lesley credits hers with exactly that. Not essential, but the mums who love them really love them.

Compression socks

Pregnancy has been leaning on your circulation for nine months, and birth doesn't instantly fix that. Compression socks support tired, heavy, achy legs and help blood flow while you're spending more time in bed than usual.

Hairdryer

Plot twist: it's not for your hair. On the cool setting, a hairdryer gently dries a caesarean incision or tender perineum after a shower, which is far kinder than a towel. It'll also do your hair, obviously.

Favourite towel

That first post-birth shower is a top-five life experience, and hospital towels are the size and texture of a tea towel. One big fluffy towel from home turns a good shower into a great one.

Feeding Bub

The first days are when feeding gets figured out. This covers all of it, because plans and newborns don't always agree.

Maternity bras

You've probably been living in soft nursing bras for months already, and now the clip-down cups earn their keep. Pack a few spares for when your milk comes in, because leaks happen and you'll want a dry one at 3am.

Breast pads

When your milk arrives (usually day two to five), your body wildly overestimates the order. Breast pads slip inside your bra and catch the leaks while supply sorts itself out. Disposable or washable, both do the job.

Nipple balm or cream

Early breastfeeding can leave nipples tender and cracked while you and bub work out the latch. A good balm soothes and protects between feeds. Pick one that doesn't need washing off before feeding, which is one less job every couple of hours.

Hydrogel breast discs

The next level up from balm. Cooling gel discs that sit on irritated or broken skin and help it heal between feeds. If balm is sunscreen, these are the after-sun. You may never need them, but if you do, you'll want them immediately.

Nipple shields

Thin silicone covers worn over the nipple during feeds to help bub latch and give sore skin a barrier. They can be a genuine help, but fit and technique matter, so they're best introduced with a midwife or lactation consultant rather than solo at 2am. Most hospitals don't supply them, hence their spot on this list.

Breast massage ball

When your milk comes in, things can get engorged, lumpy and sore. A warmable, coolable massage ball helps work through blocked spots and ease the ache, and keeps earning its place if you breastfeed long term.

Breast pump

Some hospitals have electric pumps on the ward, others suggest you bring your own. Ring and ask before you buy or pack. Handy early on if bub needs expressed milk or your supply needs encouragement, and the midwives will show you how to use it.

Lactation cookies

Biscuits made with ingredients like oats and brewer's yeast, traditionally eaten to support milk supply. The evidence is more folklore than lab-tested, but they're a delicious excuse to eat biscuits during a week when you've earned biscuits.

Breastfeeding pillow

An aching back and arms is the newborn feeding tax, and a firm feeding pillow brings bub up to the right height instead of you hunching down. Works exactly the same for bottle feeds, so it's not a breastfeeding-only buy.

Formula and bottles

Feeding doesn't always go to plan, and having a small tin of formula and a couple of bottles in the bag means a 2am plan B without sending anyone to a servo. All infant formula sold in Australia has to meet the same strict nutritional standard, and your midwife, child health nurse or GP is the right person to talk to about formula feeding.

Dummy

Not planning on using one? Noted. But on night two, when bub won't settle and you've tried everything else, plenty of mums are very glad to find one stashed in the side pocket. Pack it, and the decision stays yours either way.

Mum's Clothes & Toiletries

Soft, loose, easy to open, and nothing you'd cry about ruining.

Loose PJs or nightgown

Loose-fitting sleepwear is the uniform of the maternity ward, and a nightgown in particular makes overnight feeds and endless midwife checks far easier. If it happens to match bub's outfit, we won't pretend that's not adorable.

Loose tops

Nursing tops and stretchy maternity singlets mean quick access for feeds and easy skin-on-skin cuddles, which bub benefits from enormously. Buttons and clips beat wrestling a tight t-shirt over your head with a baby in one arm.

Cardigan or dressing gown

Night feeds plus hospital air-con equals teeth chattering. A cardie or dressing gown throws on and off in one move and makes wandering the corridor for a midwife feel slightly less like a scene from a horror film.

Extra clothing

Birth is messy and newborns are messier, so pack more changes than seems reasonable, for you and your partner both. Include one nice-but-comfy option for the first photos, because you'll look at those pictures forever.

Socks

Cold feet during labour are a genuine phenomenon, and the birthing suite floor is always tiled. Pack the softest, most ridiculous socks you own. When everything feels strange, small comforts do heavy lifting.

Slippers

Bare feet and hospital floors are not friends. Slippers or slip-on shoes keep your tootsies warm on the ward and save you bending down, which is suddenly a whole production.

Thongs

The shower shoe of champions, and grippy enough to prevent slips on wet tiles. Your feet may still be swollen after birth, so anything with a bit of give beats anything with laces. Between these and the slippers, your feet are sorted for the whole stay.

Leaving hospital outfit

The going-home photo is a milestone for you too, not just bub. Pack one loose, comfortable outfit that isn't sleepwear and you'll walk out those doors feeling like a million dollars, or at least like a person who owns daywear.

Toiletries

Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, face wash, toothbrush and toothpaste. The boring stuff, and the stuff most likely to get forgotten in the door-slam of early labour. Grapeviner mum Anika's tip: pack a "grab bag" inside your main bag with everything for that first shower (undies, pad, clothes, toiletries), so you're not rummaging one-handed.

Dry shampoo

Meet your new best friend. Washing and drying hair falls a long way down the priority list behind newborn snuggles, and dry shampoo buys you days of looking human in photos.

Hairbrush

The mum bun will have its era, but that first mum-and-bub photo deserves a quick brush. Thirty seconds, big payoff.

Headband and hair ties

Sweaty labour hair in your face is a small misery you can prevent for two dollars. If there's time early on, a loose braid keeps hair off your neck for the whole show and still looks lovely in photos afterwards.

Lip balm

The unofficial mascot of the labour bag. Hospital air-con plus hours of focused breathing equals cracked lips, and lip balm is the item mums most often send their partner sprinting home for. Pack two.

Face cream

Hospital air conditioning and hydrated skin aren't really friends. Your usual face cream, or a couple of sheet masks if you fancy ten minutes of self-care, keeps your skin from staging a protest.

Tinted moisturiser

Nobody expects a new mum to look like anything other than a new mum. But if a two-second swipe of tinted moisturiser makes you feel fresher for visitors and photos, that's the whole job done, no makeup bag required.

Makeup and facial wipes

For the mums who do want the makeup bag, bring it, and bring facial wipes so it can all come off from the comfort of the bed. Anything that saves a trip to the bathroom sink gets a vote.

Gum or mints

Visitors arrive on their schedule, not your teeth-brushing one. A packet of mints in the bedside drawer is a two-second freshen-up, and if a long labour or caesarean keeps you horizontal for a day, you'll be extra glad of them.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding vitamins

Already taking a daily pregnancy vitamin? Bring the bottle and keep the habit going, as most brands roll straight through into breastfeeding formulations. Mention it to your midwife along with any other medication.

Water bottle

The styrofoam cups the hospital hands out hold about three sips and tip over if you look at them. A big bottle from home, ideally with a straw so you can drink lying down mid-feed, will be refilled more times than you can count.

Sauvignon blanc and brie

The cheeky entry, and yet. Packing the things you've been skipping all pregnancy gives you something lovely to look forward to, whether that's soft cheese, a celebratory glass or a full antipasto spread in your esky. If you're breastfeeding, your midwife can talk you through timing.

Baby's Bag

The smallest person gets their own bag, mostly full of things smaller than your hand. Fair warning: packing this bit may cause spontaneous crying at how tiny the socks are.

Nappies

Here's the catch nobody mentions: plenty of hospitals don't supply newborn nappies anymore. Ring yours and check, and pack a good stack either way. Newborns get through more than seems anatomically possible.

Clothing

Zip onesies, itty-bitty singlets, tiny beanies, soft socks, in more quantities than one small person should need. The zips detail matters: press studs at midnight, one-handed, on a wriggling newborn, is nobody's idea of fun. Pack for the season you'll be walking out into.

Swaddles and muslin wraps

Wrapped snug, newborns feel like they're back where they came from, and sleep accordingly. Muslins also moonlight as burp cloths, sun shades and general mess-catchers. Pack several, because at least one will be wearing milk by day two.

Hooded towel

Bub's very first bath usually happens in hospital, and a soft hooded towel from home beats the hospital linen for both cosiness and the photo op. Because yes, there will be a photo op.

Baby oil

The insider trick for the first poo. Meconium (bub's first tar-like poo) sticks like nothing else on earth, and a light layer of baby oil on their bottom beforehand makes cleanup dramatically easier. Grapeviner mum Kirsty's tip, and mums who've tried it don't go back.

Baby mittens

Newborns arrive with deceptively sharp little talons and no idea where their hands are. Soft mittens save their face from scratches in week one. Some mums skip them so bub can find their hands; both camps are right.

Going home outfit

You bought it months ago, let's not pretend otherwise. The going-home outfit is a proper milestone moment and one you'll photograph from every angle. Pack a backup in the next size up, because newborns come in a range of surprises.

Plastic bag

The glamour item. Birth clothes, milk-soaked tops and blowout victims should not travel home mingled with your clean nighties. A couple of plastic or wet bags keep the laundry quarantined.

For Your Partner

A partner who's fed, caffeinated and wearing clean clothes is a far more useful partner.

Change of clothes for your partner

Bodily fluids. Enough said. A full change of clothes, plus their own toiletries if they're staying, keeps your support person functional instead of fragrant.

Snack money and supplies

Their vending machine fund, their own snacks, their phone charger. Grapevine mum Peta's genius addition: a box of cereal, some UHT milk, a bowl and a spoon, because hospital kitchens close and 1am hunger doesn't.

Nearly every item on this list solves one specific problem, and you won't know which problems are yours until you're in the thick of it. Pack the short list that feels right, keep this page handy, and remember Grapeviner mum Jenna's golden rule: if you forget something, someone can always bring it in.

The shops don't close because you had a baby.